Quartz, topaz, emeralds, gold, gemstones ...The Museum of Mineralogy at the University of Padova houses an extensive collection of mineral samples, with pieces from heavily mined – and often now depleted – mineral and metal deposits in Italy and abroad, but also from impervious mountain locations where, even today, mineral hunters adventure in search of precious “crystals of rock”. Minerals such as these are a precious resource for geological research, but they also have countless applications in industrial and civil contexts, and have been used for centuries as natural pigments for decoration and works of art. The original core of the collection comprised specimens from the Vallisneri natural history collection, which was donated to the university in the early eighteenth century. The collection has grown over the intervening centuries, with additions such as the Gasser and Bianchi collections and countless more recently acquired specimens swelling its ranks to the point that today it can boast some 18,000 minerals, gemstones, ores and meteorite samples.The museum also houses an extensive collection of nineteenth-century scientific instruments, such as goniometers, polariscopes and microscopes, which were used to observe and measure the morphological characteristics of crystals long before the advent of the X-ray technologies used today.The mission of the Museum of Mineralogy is to protect and conserve its collection, but also to add to it with new mineral varieties, the likes of which continue to come to light as new areas of the planet are explored and surveyed. Not only are these discoveries new to science, they are fascinating to look and have great potential as exhibits.